Rotary power



RICHARD WALKER, OF PORTSMOUTH, NEV HAMPSHIRE.

ROTARY POWER STOCKINGr-IOOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,421, dated December 1839'.

- To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD WALKER of Portsmouth, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Framework Knitting-Machine or Stocking- Loom, by which improvements it is rendered capable 0f performing all the necessary movements in the operationv vof knitting by giving a rotary motion to a. cam-shaft, which may be turned by a winch when .a single machine is used or may be operated by means of belts and pulleys or other gearing when used in factories and is therefore denominated by me the rotary power stocking loom, and Ido hereby declare that the foll lowing is a. full and exact description thereof.

Figure 1, in the accompanying drawing, is a perspective representation of my machine, taken in front. Fig. 2, is a back view thereof, and Fig. 3, a vertical section of a portion thereof, from fron-t to back, showing the cams on the cam shaft, and cert-ain parts connected therewith.

In the respective aigures, the same letters of reference are used to designate the same parts.

For webs lof less than nine inches wide, the machine will be about sixteen inches long, sixteen high, .and thirteen wide. For wider webs, or for a number of webs inV succession, the machine must :be increased in length, but its other dimensions may remain unchanged.

A, A, are the ends yof the main frame, represented .as made 0f cast-iron, and B., B, B, are girths of wood by which these ends are connected; but these, of course, may be varied in form and material.

C, C, is the main shaft, by the revolution of which the whole machine is to be .actuated.; D, E, and F, being three cams on said shaft, which Ioperate in a. manner to be presently described.

G, Gr, is the lathe in front .of the machine; this lathe works upon joint pins in the pieces I-I, H, attach'etd to the lower girth of the frame; in a machine of the size designated, it is about nine inches wide and twelve inches high. In the drawing, the lathe, above .the joints, is shown in outline only, tor as if transparent, for the purpose Iof .exhibiting the parts behind it, which would other wise be in some measure obscured :by it. The lathe is moved backward and forward bythe cam D; the cam rod I, I, :upon which said cam acts being connected to the center ofthe lathe, at Gr', by a joint pin, ,as shown atJG., The rod I, works on a joint pin fon the lever J, which being acted upon by the `spiral spring K, serves to `throw theV lathe forward when not forced inward by Vthe cam.`

Along the upper bar of the lathe, .constituting the needle bar, are placed :the needles, which :are similar to .those used in the English stocking loom, having na .spring beard at their points. They are bent down at right angles, .about two inches from their points, so .as to be embraced between the two metallicpl'ates `of which the needle b-ar consists; this is seen at a, af, Fig. 1,:and in cross section at Fig. Il, where b is one of the needles; the back plate, a', is :attached to .the plate a, of the lathe, by `a row of screws, firmly securing the y'needles in place.` The ,plate a, is notched on its .top edge, said .notches forming grooves which receive the needles, .and give them the proper direction forward; in Fig. l, the row of needles is hidden by the depressor L, L, the office .of which is to press down. the beards of the needles at the proper time. The depnessor is made of a plate of steel, which has its ends bent down -at right angles, :as shown .at L, L.; ^these ends `are attached .to the arms M, M, .of the lathe by join-t lpins c, 1a. The depressor isfiorced down upon `the points ofthe needles by means of the cam E, in the following manner:

N, N, is a frame connected to the depressor by `the rods O, '0, working on joints lat each of ltheir ends, as represented. `The frame N, is hinged .at its back end, Fig. 12, and is borne up by the spiral springs P, P, P". VThe projecting part ofthe cam Fig. 3, fcoming in ycontact with the stump E', on said frame, will consequently force down the depressor. In Fig. 2, the. spiral :springs P, P, are, in part, shown 'by vertical lines only. Their upper Aends :are attached .to the back -end kof the sinker frame, upon, which they act, as well as upon the frame N. The construction and oiiice of this sinker frame will now be described. Q, Q, 1Q, Figs. l and '2, is @the sinke frame, which sustains the sinkers R, 'The sinkers -'are made of thin-sheet-iron,1or ether metal; their oflice is to carry the thread' down to a sufficient depth .between the needles 'to form theystfitch. Their'constructifon `and operation, are, in this respect, the same Aas in the English stocking-loom, ,the

` ers.

about an inch deep. On their vfo-re ends,

they have a head about three inches deep, which passes down between the needles, having a lip and throat in the same general form of the English stocking-loom sinker, now in ordinary use; but differs from 1t v1n the sinker and jack constituting but oneV piece, as shown in Fig. 5. The sinker frame is about a foot wide, from front'to back, and it vibrates upon bearings VS, S, vattached to the main frame A, A; these bearings, or pivots, enter it near its center. A steel rod T, passes through these bearings andl through holes in the sinker plates, constituting the fulcruln upon which they turn. The rod T, may be drawn out when itis desired to vary the number of sinkers according to the width of the web. The front bar, Q, of the sinker frame has plates of metal proj ecting from its underside, which plates pass between the sinkers, and serve to guide them in their motions,the bar itself being so situated as to govern the heightto which they shall rise. The bar`Q2, Q2, which is shown in Fig. 2, eXtends along the-sinker frame, under the'sinkers,` and has plates of metal projecting from its upper side to receive them, and through these; plates, as well as through the sinkers,`the rod T, passes. j

Q3, Fig. 2, is the hind bar of the sinker frame. Y The screwsd, al, d, seen upon this bar, are set screws whichbear upon a slide bar Abetween it andthe back end of the sinkl This slide bar is faced with cloth, or some other elastic substance, which `is made to bearupon the back end of the sinkers, so as to produce the degree of friction necessary to keep them stationary, excepting when'they are moved'by acting parts of the machine. Thespiral springsP, P, before mentioned, serve to keep the Vfront of the sinker frame elevated, when not brought downfby the cam. Y v

The cam F, is for vibrating and governing the motions of the sinker frame, which it does through the intermedium of the bar VU, U, upon which there is a bearing piece V, on which the cam acts. This bar works on a hinge joint at W, upon the lower side of the sinker frame, and infront ofthe fulcraupon which it vibrates. i

Having. thus, fullyeXplained the manner in which the three cams D, E, and F, operate in communicating the required-motions tothe lathe, thedepressor,' and the sinker frame, l now proceed toV describe that partV concerned in the feeding, or supplying, of the thread to Vbe lmit, or woven.

A 'steel bar X, is supported upon the sinker frame by means of the arch pieces Y,

Y, and from end to end 4of this bar the car-` Vriage Z, is to slide: e, e, are two friction rollers, which are Vshown distinctly in the separate Fig. l, bis, the front plate being removed forfthatpurpose; these rollers bear against the undersideA of the bar, and the third, f, bearsupomand depresses, the sinkj ers as it passes along the bar which `itdoes about half an inch in advance ofthecenters,` or fulcra, of the sinkers; thus sinking, or carrying down, -the thread, between the needles.` To protect the edges of the sinkers from being injured by the roller f Iv cover them witha thin steel saddle, putonthem like the back of a tenonsaw. The thread is taken from the bobbin, and is passed in 80 under the lip of the sinkers by the feeding rod g, g, attached to' the arm It, of the carriage. The arm L., turns upon a pin ,atithe rear of the carriage, and has room to vibrate to a given distance between theuprojections Z, Z, on its front.` The cord y',-.y', by which the carriage is moved is clasped firmly to. the arm it, andV by the drawinglof this cord, the arm, as it traverses in either direction, is brought over so as to keep the thread forward lof the fallingsinkers.V The cordj, y', passes over friction rollers within .the caps Ic, lo, at either end of the bar, and is coni ducted downto the 'pulleys Z, Z, on the `main shaft, the operatonof which will `be shown most distinctly in Fig; 2. i

The grooved pulleys Z, Z, are loose upon` the shafto, o, Fig; 2, and to them are rmly attached the ends of the cord j,j. They are made of such diameter Athat by` half a`-revo lution they will .draw the carriage" once across Vthe sinker frame, which they are madeto do `by means of clutches, construct# ed in the following manner. Collets m, "m, are attached to the shaft C, C, and have on them clutch teethn, n, and upon the pulleys there are corresponding clutch teeth o, 0. A shipping harp, p, has a fork at each end taking into a neck, or groove, on each of the pulleys Z, Z, as shown in Fig. 2, bis. The 110 bar 79, p, is shifted `bythe rodsg, g, the upper `ends of which are flattened and bear against the ends of the shifting rod, or'wire,

s, '8,5 t-he stud t attached to the back 'of the carriage passes over this wire, and `coming 115 in contact with pins u, u, upon it, causes the clutching and unclutching to be efected ina manner which will be made `perfectly plain by the drawing. v

By the arrangement above described, the 120 frame work knitting loom` is not only rendered selfacting,. but itis simplified in its general construction,- and its operation is rendered more perfect; the manner in which, I construct, and throw down, the sinkers is 125 not only peculiar andrnovel, but by dispensing with the .jacks used'in the English loom, and substituting the. carriage and roller, there is a more: certain, equal and exact pres- .sure produced; theroller carrying the sink- 13o ers between every needle in succession to the full depth of the gage, enables it to knit such hard twisted yarn as cannot be knit on the ordinary loom. The device of the roller and its appendages may be applied to the hand loom, .for depressing the sinkers, and it is my intention so to apply it.

Operation: When the carriage Z, is at one extremity of the sinkers, the pulley at the opposite end is clutched, and as the carriage is drawn by the arm h, of the feeding rod, said rod starts first and keeps the thread forward of the falling sinkers.V One half revolution of the shaft, draws the carriage home to the opposite end, which in its passage depresses the sinkers, carries the thread between the needles, and finally unclutches the pulley which operated it, and prepares the other for action. At the commencement of the other half revolution, the cam D, bears against the rod I, and draws the needles back, so as to brings the thread under the beards, to the points of the needles. The cam E that moves the sinker frame, lets it rise at the same time by the action of the spiral springs, and while the sinker frame is rising, and the needles drawing back, the depressor operates upon the beards of the needles, so that they are drawn through the web. The sinker frame is then brought down by the cam, to its f full extent, the sinkers being stopped when they are low enough to cast over; the needles then pass through the new stitch, the

sinker frame rises, and the machine is ready to repeat the saine routine.

Having thus fully described the construction of my machine, and pointed out the manner in which the same operates, what I claim as of my invention therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The manner in which I operate the lathe, the depressor, and the sinker frame, by the three cams upon the main revolving shaft, so as to produce the respective motions in the order described, by a combination and connection of parts substantially the same with that set forth.

2. I also claim the manner in which I make my sinkers, so as to dispense entirely with the jacks used in the English looms, the sinker-and the jack in my loom constituting but one piece, as set forth and represented.

3. I likewise claim the combination of the parts concerned in operating the carriage',`

gous means.

RICHARD WALKER. Witnesses:

JOSEPH M. EDMoNDs, DAN. W. DROWN. 

